1. Mother Nature's Son

April 22 is Earth Day, a time when we celebrate nature and think of ways to protect it. Listen as your teacher reads a story from this week's newspapers about someone who is working to improve the health of the Earth. Based on the story, draw a picture of this person doing his/her work. If you like, draw yourself into the story--helping this person protect the Earth.

Learning Standards: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively; identifying and explaining how individuals in history demonstrate good character and personal virtue.

2. Long-Ago Life

Scientists are always looking for new ways to study ancient life. And often a material called amber has helped them. Amber is a fossilized kind of tree sap called resin. When fresh it is very sticky, and bugs and other creatures can become stuck and preserved in it. This month new discoveries in amber have scientists buzzing in the African country of Ethiopia. A large quantity of insects, spiders, flowers and other life forms have been found trapped in amber that dates back 95 million years to the time of the dinosaurs. The discovery could shed light on when and where plants first flowered on Earth, scientists said. The fossils also provide some of the earliest examples of ancient wasps, moths, beetles, ants and spiders. Think like a scientist and look at a picture of an outdoor scene in the newspaper. Make a list of all the plants and animals you think could live in this outdoor place. Write which ones would be the most interesting -- or important -- for future scientists to study to learn about wildlife and habitats today.

Learning Standards: Explaining ecosystem concepts and processes; explaining common patterns of interdependence and interrelationships of living things; acquiring information from multiple sources and then organizing, presenting and analyzing it.

3. Boy Meets Boy

Scientists who study fossils make some incredible discoveries. But few have been as incredible as the one made in the African nation of South Africa. A 9-year-old boy chasing his dog through high grass stumbled on the fossil a human relative that is nearly two million years old! Even more amazing, the fossil is of a boy almost the same age as Matthew Berger, the modern boy who found it. Scientists say the fossil is of a new species of hominid, an ancient human ancestor. It shares qualities of both humans and apes, walking upright on long legs but still climbing through trees with apelike arms. Scientists, including Matthew's dad Lee, named the fossil "Sediba," which means "source." Lee Berger is a fossil expert who was searching for bones on a hill nearby when Matthew made his great discovery. As a class, talk about ways scientists study fossils of ancient life on Earth. Then find a picture of an outdoor scene in the newspaper. Pretend you are a scientist who believes a fossil is buried on the site. Make a list of the first five steps you would take to find and study this fossil. Give a reason for each step.

Learning Standards: Engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance; explaining how fossils provide evidence about the nature of ancient life; explaining how scientists decide what constitutes scientific knowledge.

4. Goodbye, Justice Stevens

The U.S. Supreme Court is the most powerful court in the nation. It has just nine judges -- or "justices" -- and once they are appointed, they can serve as long as they want. Justice John Paul Stevens, who is the longest serving justice on the Supreme Court, announced this month that he will retire in June. Justice Stevens, who is 90, has served on the Supreme Court for 34 years and has been at the center of many key decisions. Under the U.S. Constitution, President Obama will choose who to nominate as Stevens' replacement, and the appointment must be approved by the U.S. Senate. As a class, talk about the role courts have in solving disputes or determining if people have broken the law. Then write a letter to the newspaper describing the qualities you think a Supreme Court justice should have.

Learning Standards: Explaining the meaning and origin of the ideas, including the core democratic values expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and other foundational documents of the United States; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

5. Sun-Powered Plane

Airplanes do many things for people, but with the high cost of fuel they are expensive to fly. Now a new airplane has been developed that can fly without any fuel at all. At least not the kind used by other planes. Last week a plane that gets its power from sunlight made a successful first flight in the European country of Switzerland. The new plane, named the Solar Impulse, took off from a military airport and flew for 90 minutes over the Swiss countryside, sometimes reaching heights one mile above the Earth. A night flight is planned before July, and then a second plane will be built to attempt a round-the-world flight in 2012. As a class, talk about new inventions and products that have changed the way people live or do things. Then find an example in the ads and stories of the newspaper. Write a paragraph describing how this product has changed the way people live.

Learning Standard: Showing how common themes of science, mathematics and technology apply in real world contexts; applying knowledge, ideas, and issues drawn from texts to students' lives and the lives of others.